‘We will make it’: Neighbors cleaning up after flooding

BOONE COUNTY, W.Va. (WSAZ) - Floors exposed, carpet torn out, and thick mud left behind — that’s what Shirley Doss returned to on Wednesday after floodwaters pushed into her Wharton area neighborhood.

“It’s terrible,” Doss said.

Doss said she woke up to a call from her daughter warning her the water was rising. By midnight, she said her family rushed over to get her as the floodwaters crept closer to her home.

“And the water was getting ready to come in the house,” she said.

First responders say heavy rain early Tuesday morning hit several communities in Logan, Boone, and Raleigh counties, pushing water into homes and onto roadways and causing significant damage.

West Virginia Governor Patrick Morrisey declared a State of Emergency due to the flooding. He said, “Beginning on June 22, a series of slow-moving storm systems produced damaging winds and heavy rainfall across the region. In some locations, rainfall totals exceeded six inches, overwhelming waterways, drainage systems, and transportation infrastructure. Throughout the evening of June 23, and into this morning, new reports of damage to homes, businesses, roads, bridges, and other property were communicated to the state.”

When Doss returned the next day, she said the cleanup and rebuilding process began immediately.

“The cleanup’s going perfect … we had to take Clorox and actually took up all the carpet… my granddaughters helped me a lot and my daughters helped me a lot … and that means everything,” Doss said.

She said the water soaked her carpet, tore up her yard, and left thick mud covering the street — making it risky just to walk outside.

“I stepped out in the mud, and it was so deep. I just slid, almost fell,” Doss said.

Now, family, friends, and neighbors are helping Doss move forward — pulling staples from exposed wood and hauling soggy carpet to the curb, one piece at a time.

Even with carpet piled at the curb and mud still covering her yard, Doss says she’s holding onto faith — and the belief that better days are ahead.

“We will make it,” she said.

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